Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

The itinerary has revealed the schedule of the special stages

16. 6. 2026 - Roman Ordelt

The city of Zlín and its surroundings will come alive again in the second half of August with the roar of roaring engines and fast rally cars. The 55th edition of the popular BARUM CZECH RALLY ZLÍN will take place from August 14th to 16th, 2026, and is once again part of the prestigious FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). The Zlín rally is one of the key events and highlights of not only the European Championship but also the Autoclub Czech Rally Championship.

Two months before the event, the Auto klub Barum Zlín, in its role as organizer, published the itinerary of the rally. The fifty-fifth edition of the Barum Rally measures a total of 787 km and includes 13 special stages on seven sections with a total length of 206 km. Following Friday's prologue in the form of the city Super Special Stage, the rally will be contested in two legs, always featuring a format of three special stage sections during the day, which the crews will complete twice. "In recent years, we have placed emphasis on improving the quality of the special stages from a driving perspective. In the rally itinerary, we included the demanding section at Bunč year before last, and after nearly thirty years, the Kateřinice stage returned to the Vsetín region. We extended this section all the way to the village of Pržno. This year, we took a major step on the route by not running the Březová stage in Slušovice. It was focused more on spectator appeal than driving value. Therefore, at the start of Saturday morning, we included the Pohořelice section, which is based on last year's version of the shakedown. This was very positively evaluated by both the sporting and safety delegates," said Ing. Jan Regner, clerk of the course of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín.

The prelude to the Barum Rally will be on Friday morning, August 14th, with the qualifying stage for FIA and ERC1 priority drivers with Rally2 cars, followed by the test section known as the shakedown. It will be run on a section of more than six kilometers, starting from the village of Bělov and finishing above Žlutava. Free practice starts at 9:00 AM, and the qualification itself begins at 10:46 AM. "The start of the first car has been pushed back by an hour so that the crews can get enough sleep after the night recce laps on the city circuit. We listened to the wishes of the starting field from previous years," explained Jan Regner regarding the change.

After the afternoon ceremonial start on the square in front of the Zlín town hall, the competitive action will begin traditionally with the Super Special Stage circuit in the streets of the regional city. It will follow the same format as in previous years. Streets in the city center will close at 4:30 PM, and historic cars from the Barum Rally Grand Prix will appear first on the three-kilometer circuit starting at 5:00 PM, followed by the Star Rally Historic starting at 6:30 PM, and contemporary cars at 8:30 PM. The Czech Championship cars will take to the track first, and from 9:35 PM, the European field will circle the track. In previous years, the super special stage often concluded after midnight; this year, the expected finish is after 11:00 PM.

On Saturday, August 15th, Leg 1 includes special stages named Pohořelice, Troják, and Bunč. The first leg, including Friday's Super SS, measures 445 km and contains 122 competitive kilometers. "We start the Pohořelice stage after the turnoff from the main road between Napajedla and Topolná. We will pass through Komárov and the attractive spectator spot on the village square in Pohořelice all the way to Oldřichovice, where the finish line is located just past the village. Due to its character and difficulty, Troják commands great respect, not only because of its length of 25.59 km. It will run from Vlčková through Troják all the way to Rajnochovice. And the feared Bunč section will be run in its format from the year before last, with the start in the Kamínka area near Roštín," said the clerk of the course of the Zlín rally.

The competition will culminate on Sunday, August 16th, on timed sections named Pindula, Semetín, and Kateřinice. The very last stage in the Vsetín region will once again serve as the final Power Stage. Sunday's portion comprises a 342 km long route, with the special stages measuring a total of 84 km. "The classic Pindula section is extended from the start, followed by a hairpin turn to Zelené údolí, with the finish line at Lípa. The attractive Semetín stage returns after a one-year hiatus, this time shortened from the finish, and the Kateřinice section was perfect last year, so it remained the same," stated Jan Regner, adding in conclusion: "We would like to ask fans not to visit the given locations, and especially forest paths where entry is prohibited. It is also thanks to the local residents and their helpfulness that we can complete these stages as part of the Barum Rally on the required dates," urges Jan Regner, clerk of the course of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín. The most successful crews will appear at the finish line of the rally at 5:30 PM on Náměstí Míru square in front of the town hall, where the ceremonial prize-giving ceremony will also take place.
For further information, please visit www.czechrally.com and do not forget to follow the Barum Czech Rally Zlín on social media, official profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and in future press releases.